Hi Folks,
The steep increase in the cost of remedial works doesn’t just result from the introduction of the DB& P Act, it is a combined result of the Home Building Act, in particular the imposition of HBCF insurance at a staggering cost, the RAB Act and it’s introduction of a 10 year duty of care, and yes, the design and documentation requirements of the DB & P Act and, to top it all, as remedial builders we are now forced to interact with the NSW Governments Planning Portal. A more dysfunctional and opaque system has yet to be developed.
As an engineer and project manager I once enjoyed my work, planning and executing complex remedial projects on sick buildings but now my days are spent battling through the cluster of complicated bureaucratic creations.
But wait, the situation is about to become far worse as the new NCC 2025 comes into being with its new waterproofing provisions that will be impossible, or at the very least highly costly, to implement on existing buildings.
Perhaps, way back when, the focus could have been on better educating tradesmen, builders and designers through an enhanced and well-funded system of technical colleges (TAFE?), instilling a sense of pride in their work, and ensuring our seats of higher learning turn out design professionals that understand how buildings work and fit together to fulfil their basic functions. Provide that better educated workforce with clear and concise technical guidelines provided through a re-written NCC and set of Australian Standards and just perhaps the cluster of complicated bureaucratic creations could have been avoided.